The Outcasts of Kelique
by Stellarsong
Summary: The war is over, Saint Dane is gone, there's no more need to travel to other territories, Bobby thought. Wrong. Saint Dane isn't gone and he's not through yet. There's another territory out there and it's up to Bobby to save it.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story takes place right after the series. Beware, may contain spoilers for several Pendragon books, including The Soldiers of Halla.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pendragon or any of the characters. I only own anything you do not recognize from the series.**

* * *

**~Third Earth~**

There was much to be done. The Ravinians had left their mark on the territory, on all the territories. Thanks to Alexander Naymeer. Thanks to Saint Dane. New York was a mess. Trash littered the street, buildings were blackened from fire. The charred structures had become temporary homes for the people of Third Earth until the rebuilding was complete.

Now Bobby, Mark, and Courtney stood in the road, taking it all in. Bobby wondered if he would ever see this place again. After all, the war was won. There were no more flumes, no more Traveling, no more fighting. No more quigs and especially no more Saint Dane.

The memory was still fresh in Bobby's mind. He had defeated Saint Dane. He had seen him weaken until finally he had lost it, grasping the last threads of life through the Ravinians and through the Travelers. But they were all against him. His power was no more. Saint Dane was no more. Boby had seen him vanish at the conclave in front of thousands and thousands of Ravinians and dados and gars and exiles. In front of the eleven Travelers who had gone to all the ends of Halla to see him finally ended. Because that's the way it was meant to be.

After completing his last journal, journal #37, Bobby had left the conclave with his two best friends in the world. For all he knew, this was the last time he would see this place before rejoining the other Travelers on Solara. The last time he would really be here with his two best friends, Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde. Physically, at least. Spiritually, well…Bobby was still a little confused on that point.

"It's really over, isn't it?" Courtney was the first to break the silence. They had stopped outside the library. It's blackened walls and the crumbling lion statues were a sad reminder of the once proud building.

A piece of cloth scuttled along the pavement, pulled along by a swift breeze. It fluttered and crumpled against a tree. The cloth was a small red flag. With the symbol of a five-pointed star.

"Yeah," Bobby replied. "It really is over."

"So w-what happens now?" asked Mark. His stutter was back. He was nervous. So was Bobby.

"I don't know, I guess I'll just go back to Solara and do spirit stuff, you know?"

Mark chuckled. "Just don't go haunting anybody, okay?"

Bobby smiled in return. Then before he knew it, the three of them were laughing and crying and hugging. It was so good to be together again. Bobby wanted the moment to last forever.

Unfortunately, that's not what was meant to be.

"Pendragon."

Bobby spun around. He realized that he had tears in his eyes and quickly wiped them away with his sleeve.

Someone else was standing on that empty street. A tall someone who wore a dark cloak with the hood pulled up to obscure the person's features. A thought struck Bobby that perhaps Saint Dane wasn't dead after all and had come back to wreak havoc on all of Halla again, but he quickly dismissed the suspicion. The voice was familiar, but it was not Saint Dane.

The figure reached up and pulled the hood away to reveal who she was. "We've got a job to do, Pendragon, and we can't very much do it without you, now can we?"

"Kasha!" Bobby exclaimed, surprised.

The klee smiled a cat-like smile and said, "I'm glad to see you haven't forgotten about me already."

"Well, of course I haven't forgotten. It's been what, an hour?"

"Time is irrelevant, Pendragon," Kasha said. "For me it's been at least two days. But who's to say it hasn't been two months? Or two years?"

"Now you're going Uncle Press on me," Bobby pointed out. Then he tried to be serious again. "What's up, Kasha? Why did you come here?"

"To give you this" was her answer and she held out something. Something Bobby hadn't seen since the creation of the giant flume to get the exiles to Third Earth from Eelong. Something he had carried with him for about five years. It was a ring.

A Traveler ring.

Bobby didn't think he'd ever see it again, not since all the Travelers had used them to create the flume. He put it on his finger and smiled.

"And to tell you our job isn't done. At least, not yet."

"What do you mean?" Bobby asked.

"I mean we're not done being Travelers."

"Wait, you're leaving?" Courtney said, incredulous. "But, no way! We just got you back."

Bobby looked back at Courtney, into her lively gray eyes. He looked at Mark, his oldest friend. Then he looked to Kasha. The Traveler from Eelong.

"Are you serious?" he asked. "I thought the war was over. Saint Dane is gone. The territories are rebuilding."

"It seems that there is one more territory out there," Kasha said gravely. "And it is nearing its own turning point."

"Wait, there's _eleven _territories?"

Kasha nodded.

"But…how?"

"I don't know. But we are not the only Travelers to go to this new territory. Press wants us to see what's going on there. That's why I've come to get you," said Kasha.

The three let that sink in. It was a lot to process. Press had said that there were ten territories, seven individual worlds. Where had the eleventh come from? There was only one way to find out.

"Alright," Bobby agreed then to Mark and Courtney, "I've gotta do this. After all, I am a Traveler."

"Yeah, and you know we're with you. Always. Even if we are stuck on good ol' Earth," Courtney said. "But how will we know what you're up to?"

"I'll send you my journals," Bobby said, stating the obvious. "Like I always have."

"But I don't have the ring anymore, Bobby," Mark said glumly.

Oh. Right.

The ring had been lost along with Alexander Naymeer when Bobby had thrown him out of the hovering helicopter. It was a moment he didn't want to relive.

"And that is why Press told me to give you this," Kasha said and produced another ring. The ring that Loor's mother, Osa, had given to Mark all those years ago. Mark took it, staring at it in awe, and slipped it on his finger. He looked to Bobby. "Now we're ready."

"Good," said Bobby and he went to stand by Kasha's side. "I'll write as soon as I can."

"You'd better," Courtney said.

The two Travelers exchanged a glance. The flumes had been destroyed, but they didn't need them anymore.

"So where _are_ we going?" Bobby asked. "You know, just out of curiosity."

Kasha took a deep breath. "I do not know what to expect as I have never actually been there. But I believe the place is called Faenon."

Together, they closed their eyes, took a step forward…and vanished.

Leaving Mark and Courtney alone on the deserted street by the library and the torn Ravinian flag.

"I sure wish we could have gone with them," said Mark.

"Yeah, me too," Courtney agreed. "But we can't travel. Not like they did. Not anymore."

"Let's go see if the Ave is still here in the future," Mark suggested. "I am just _dying _to get a box of Garden Poultry fries and some Dew. I haven't had any of that in _five _years."

"You read my mind," said Courtney. "Except for the Dew. Let's go."

And that's when Mark's ring started to twitch. He didn't know what it was at first. Until the lights. And the music.

"Already?" Courtney asked.

Mark placed the ring on the ground, watching it expand. He was excited. They both were.

Bobby's next journal was coming in.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading and please leave a review before you go, it doesn't take that much energy to do so. And I'll see if I can keep the updates consistent.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all of you that left such nice reviews. And yes, you will find out sooner or later how the eleventh territory came to be. But not now. He he. Sorry this took so long to update but I haven't been able to get to the computer until now. Here's the next chapter.**

* * *

**Journal #38**

**~Faenon~**

Okay, I can honestly say I'm totally confused about this whole thing. I mean, I saw Saint Dane die, er, end. Whatever. He just blinked out of existence. Adios, good-bye, you know. I still haven't seen him yet but Uncle Press says he's here. Somewhere. He's trying to use this eleventh territory as some kind of lifeline. I guess this is his final hope of regaining what he lost in the war. Of regaining Halla. He just doesn't know when to quit, does he? Man, I am tired of this guy.

Speaking of which, I'm tired of this whole territory. So far it's been pretty strange so the only time I have to write this is at night. From the very first second Kasha and I stepped onto this territory, there's been something trying to kill us. And we almost did die. Twice.

Mark, Courtney, I sure hope you're doing a heck of a lot better than we are. Anyway, this is what happened.

After we left you guys, we appeared right in the middle of this big forest. But the only thing I saw was a humongous tree before something slammed into my chest, nearly knocking me to the ground. It forced all the air out of my lungs and I felt the sting of claws bite my skin. Then a face was above mind, all snarling jaws and flaming eyes. Yellow eyes.

It was a quig.

I'd been kind of hoping we wouldn't encounter anymore since the flumes were destroyed. I guess I was wrong. The first thought I had was "Not again!" Wait, no, I take that back. That was my second thought. My first thought was "Look at those giant, razor-sharp teeth!"

After the initial shock of being knocked to the ground by a hungry quig, I reacted quickly, rolling to the side to try and get away. I managed to get out from under it, but it was fast. When I got to my feet, I saw what it was. The quigs on Faenon were bobcats.

And this guy looked hungry and wanted a piece of me. Literally. The stocky cat crouched, bunching up its hindquarters, and leaped! It was a flash of tooth and claw sailing through the air, bits of saliva flying from its mouth. And then another flash, this one black, accompanied by a fearsome snarling. The quig-cat dropped to the ground, letting out a high-pitched wail as Kasha dug her claws into its back. Kasha was the bigger of the two but the quiq was ferocious. It snapped at the klee, writhing on the ground and scrabbling to get a hold with its claws.

I heard another yowl and spun around just as another flash of gleaming claws raced toward me. Duh, there was more than one. I'd been so stunned by the first attack that I hadn't even bothered to look around for more quigs. That was a mistake. And I didn't have any weapons with me.

I jumped and threw myself out of the way of the charging beast, falling into the dirt as I did so. The rocks scraped my palms until they were raw and covered in grit. I flipped over, ready to hop to my feet again when a black claw raked across my left shoulder. I gasped in pain as it ripped through the sleeve of my shirt and drew tracks of blood on my arm. My first instinct was to grab the wound and hold it until the blood and the pain had stopped. But that wouldn't have done me any good. So I rolled again and smashed into a tree.

Ouch.

The quig was on me again, snapping at my face and throat, a rabid gleam in its yellow eyes. I threw out my arms to try and cover my face, to protect against those gnashing teeth. It planted its paws on my chest, frantically trying to take a bite out of me. I didn't have any weapons so I made do with what I had. I drew my legs in and with all the energy I could muster, I kicked upward. My feet knocked into the quig's body, lifting it and throwing it off. Instantly, I scrambled to my feet.

The quig wasn't done yet. It growled deep in its throat, a twisted, guttural sound. The cat glared at me and bared its fangs. It wanted lunch and it wasn't going to be denied.

I flicked my gaze to the forest floor where I spotted my only chance. The quig lunged. I ducked and fell to the side, scooping up a long branch that had fallen to the forest floor. It still rustled with dead leaves when I grabbed it, brandishing it out front of me like a weapon.

When the quig came at me, I was ready. Remembering all those training sessions with Loor and Alder in Mooraj, I sidestepped and flicked the branch out like one of those wooden staves from Zadaa. It wasn't exactly the same because of the several smaller twigs and leaves that still clung to it, but it was better than nothing. It smacked into the quig's forepaws, tripping it up and sending it sprawling on the ground. It would have been funny if the quig hadn't been trying to eat me.

Unfortunately, the quig recovered almost immediately and went after me again, letting out an enraged cry. I took a step back and planted the end of the branch firmly on the ground, the sharper end facing the quig. I thought that maybe I could kill it like those hunters used to do in the old days when they hunted boars with nothing but spears.

But this wasn't a boar. It was a quig from the territory of Faenon and much smarter than the average wild animal. It threw itself sideways, avoiding my branch.

I swept it around, trying to catch the quig in the chest and knock it over when it landed on me again, tearing at me. My back hit a tree and I spun, bringing the branch out in a wide arc. The thickest part hit with a solid _crack!_ and I knew that it was over. The quig stumbled away from me, blood seeping down the side of its face. One side of its head had been bloodied by the branch and there were several puncture wounds from the sharp twigs and thorns. It growled once, a garbled, feeble sound, stumbled, and then died.

I stared at its lifeless body for a moment, still breathing hard, trying to stop shaking. I threw down the branch in disgust. My shoulder hurt and the front of my shirt was torn and stained red with blood. I wasn't sure whether it was my own or the quig's and at that moment, I didn't really care.

I wondered what happened to the other quig. Then my head shot up and my heart was racing again. It was quiet now.

"Kasha?" I called tentatively. I wasn't at all sure the quig wouldn't come back to life and eat me anyway so I had to be careful. "Kasha!"

"Here, Pendragon."

I felt a surge of relief at the sound of her voice. When I turned, I saw her stumbling through the thick undergrowth toward me. She bore wounds from the fight and spat out a mouthful of blood. My stomach churned at the sight.

But what was more shocking was the look in her eyes. It was an expression of shock and numbness. Kasha had always been a proud, if sceptical, klee. It had taken awhile for her to accept her role as a Traveler but she was always strong and fierce. This was something I had not expected and it pained me to see her this way. I hoped I would never have to again.

"What is this place?" she asked softly. "It is a horrible, horrible place. Those quigs…they look like klees. Only not. How can this be?" She looked into my eyes and I saw her confusion. She'd never seen cats before. Let alone killer quig-cats.

"I'm sorry, Kasha," I said. "But on other territories, there are no klees, you know that. Those quigs were cats. And though you look a lot alike, that's where the similarities end. Klees and cats are very different." Although I had been totally freaked the first time I saw the klee, Boon. I had been prepared for anything. Except talking cats. But I guess I shouldn't blame Kasha for how she reacted. I mean, I remember the first time I went to Eelong and found out that the quigs there were humans. Or gars. Whatever. It was pretty freaky.

"Come on, let's see if we can find a village or something," I said.

We left the body of the quig behind and walked through the forest in silence. It was really thick woodland, with trees that seemed several miles tall and a vast green canopy that blocked out most of the sunlight. Although it did tend to dapple the ground now and then as it penetrated the leafy cover. Most of the trees were so thick, it would take ten people holding hands to reach around its full circumference. The fronds were like huge fans overhead and it was hard to see the ground below all the underbrush. It actually reminded me a little of Eelong except that it wasn't as hot or as humid. Whereas Eelong was a thick jungle, this was more like the dense woodland of North America. Times about a hundred.

I saw a few birds perched in the trees. Some of them looked like electric blue finches with green crests, others were more like macaws. I even saw some kind of bird that had iridescent, peacock-like tail feathers but its body was a rich, deep green that I didn't even see it at first. So far we had seen plenty of birds and trees, not much else.

Finally, after we had been walking silently for what felt like twenty minutes straight, I just couldn't help it anymore. "Well, I have one thing to say." And when Kasha glanced at me, I tried not to explode too loud. "What the freak is going on?"

"Excuse me?" Kasha said, raising an eyebrow-if klees even _have_ eyebrows, that is-in confusion.

"There are no more flumes, right? All we do now is concentrate, take a step, and suddenly we appear on some other territory. So what's with the quigs? I mean, we arrive here at the right place and time when we're needed, yet there are quigs here who know exactly when and where we show up. I thought there weren't supposed to be any quigs anymore. Not since the flumes were destroyed and we defeated Saint Dane." Yeah, I know, I was ranting. But I needed to get that out.

"It seems, as Saint Dane has put it, the rules have changed," Kasha replied. "Perhaps he really is out there and those quigs are proof of that."

What she said made sense but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I hate quigs.

At least Kasha seemed to have regained the strong, ready composure she had lost when the quigs had attacked. She could recover quickly.

There was a sound in the trees, a slight rustling in the canopy. Kasha was the first to hear it. Her ears were pricked forward, alert, and for a moment I wondered if we were going to have to fight our way past more quigs. I stopped and strained to hear the noises. So far, nothing had jumped out at us so I hoped that was a good sign. In fact, the sound seemed to be coming from above us and I craned my neck, trying to see past the thick branches. Kasha pulled the hood of her cloak back over her head, the cowl shadowing her features. I guess she didn't want any of the native people to be freaked out by the sight of a walking, talking cat.

Then something swung down through the branches as nimbly as if born in the trees. I had a brief thought of it being a giant monkey-yeah, giant monkey, ha ha. I'm serious guys, don't laugh. Okay fine, laugh all you want. But the figure was not. It was a human. She swiftly snatched the branch she had landed on and was swinging down through the air like an expert gymnast, letting her feet dangle as she hung on with her hands. Then she released and dropped to the forest floor.

When she stood up, she appeared tall and slender, but with enough muscle to play jungle gym through the trees. Her hair was long and dark red and her skin was pale, but not deathly pale. Her eyes were a very stunning green. She wore a simple blue shirt made out of some kind of loose material over long pants of a darker shade of the same color. She didn't seem at all surprised to see us.

"Come," she said. So much for greetings. Not even a "Hi, who are you?" At least, not from her.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The girl turned to me and smiled. "My name is Kya Enta of the Aku tribe. I was told that you would be arriving soon. It looks like I got here just in time too. But you must come with me. The Ignat are attacking."

She went to grab my wrist but I yanked it away before she could. Kasha growled softly in suspicion. "Yeah, that's nice," I said sarcastically. "But who _are_ you?"

The girl, who was around my own age, cast a look at Kasha then looked back at me. "Perhaps this will help," she said and lifted her hand. On her finger was a stone ring.

A Traveler ring.

* * *

**Another traveler from another territory. I can't wait to see what happens next. Oh, wait, I already know what's going to happen next. Please feel free to drop off a review before you go. It's not that hard. See that little button down there? Press it. Come on, you know you want to. And if I get a ton of reviews, my next update will be faster. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Happy monday! And I finally updated my story! Updates will probably be more frequent after this because I tend to write more fanfiction in the school year for some reason. I guess I have to have _something_ to do during history class... Well, thanks all of you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

* * *

**Journal #38: continued**

**~Faenon~**

"Now come _on_," Kya prompted.

I followed. What other choice did I have? The Ignat were attacking. Whoever _they _were.

"Where are we going?" Kasha asked.

Kya squinted at her. "Are you…?" Then her eyes widened as Kasha pulled the hood away from her face. "You're a cat!" the girl exclaimed.

"I do not know what you're talking about," Kasha replied indignantly. "I am not a cat. I am a klee. Now where are we going?"

Kya looked back at me, a confused look on her face. I just shrugged. She returned her gaze back to Kasha. "We're going to my place. Hurry, before the Ignat find us. And uh…pull your hood back up."

Kasha didn't ask. This was Kya's world after all. She went to start running again through the woods. And man, was she good. She seemed to know every tree and stone in this forest. Sometimes she would use a low branch, grabbing onto it to hoist herself over the boulders and logs that littered the path. Me, I tripped about a thousand times. I felt like such a klutz. I hoped this girl didn't think I was like some big lumbering oaf. As for Kasha, she dropped to all fours and padded through the forest with all the grace and skill of, well, of a jungle cat. She leaped onto and over boulders, slipping nimbly between the trees and managed to keep up with Kya. Show-off. I could barely walk without tripping over something. I swear the vines were alive and trying to grab my ankles. It was very annoying.

Of course, it wasn't as annoying as the arrow that shot through the air right in front of my face and imbedded itself in the tree to my left. I jerked back in surprise, tripping over an exposed root, and promptly fell back onto my butt.

Kasha whipped around with a hiss, instantly ready for action. Kya glanced at the arrow then said to me, "It's the Ignat. They see us."

Oh.

Another arrow flew through the air, whistling as it passed. I could hear shouts in the distance but they were too far away for me to really tell exactly what was being said.

Kya leaped over the tangled underbrush, landing on the large boulder I hadn't seen from the other side of the tree. And when I say large, I mean _huge_. Like, wow, this was a mountain. She gripped the rough, gritty surface and began to climb, methodically searching out hand- and footholds in its pockmarked surface. Naturally, Kasha was able to follow with ease. She didn't even break a sweat-assuming klees could sweat, that is. Her claws dug into the stone, scraping its face until she was pulling up alongside Kya, almost to the top.

Great, did they expect me to climb that? Sure, I've been rock-climbing many times so I'm not afraid of heights or anything. it's the fact that there were hardly any handholds and nothing to keep me from falling and breaking myself on the hard ground below. I guess I'd just end up back in Solara, no worse for wear, but still, it wasn't something I wanted to try out. That would be inconvenient.

I climbed. When I reached the stone surface, I realized it was riddled with pockmarks, almost like volcanic rock. I slipped my fingers through the holes and heaved myself upward, my chest brushing against the rock. My feet momentarily scrabbled at the surface until I found purchase. I continued to ascend, reaching up and groping for the next handhold. There was one time when I couldn't find it and was feeling around blindly like an idiot for half a minute. But eventually I did find it and continued my ascent.

Kya must have seen it-she'd already reached the top-because she called out, "Don't look down."

Gee, thanks. That's the last thing I needed to hear. As was natural, I was suddenly overcome with the impulse to look down. I didn't. When I reached the top, I took a chance and glanced over the side. I instantly felt vertigo set in and quickly backed up. We were really high. Fortunately the ledge didn't crumble underfoot and send us plummeting to our deaths. Phew.

I really need to stop thinking like that.

Beyond the massive wall of rock were more rocks. A mountain range of rocks. Jagged peaks towered and pointed at the sky. Or rather, at the constant green canopy overhead. Yeah, that's right. The trees were still looming over us. I wouldn't be surprised it their topmost bows pierced the cloud cover, that's how tall they were. Assuming there_ was_ any cloud cover, you could never be sure.

"My village is just this way," Kya said. She wasn't even out of breath. She walked to the edge of the stone, then, gripping the rock tightly, she slipped down the side to land on another massive boulder.

We continued on like this for awhile, moving from rock to rock in the shadow of the forest. It was weird. Like hiking through the mountains only the trees took up all of the sky. I skidded across a big, flat boulder and saw that Kya had stopped near the ledge. She stood stiffly, hands balled into fists at her sides. I wanted to say "What's up?" when I came to her side and peered over the edge.

And got my first look at the village.

It was all wooden huts and platforms around the bases of the trees. Some of the huts were built right on the sides of the trees, the trunks making their fourth walls and sometimes ceilings. Thick, rope-like vines twisted around the moss-covered trees, forming ladders. Large, green fronds hung over windows like curtains. Some trees even had hollowed out trunks, probably for homes or storage or something. Another rock outcropping stood out at the edge of the village, but it wasn't nearly as massive as the one we had just crossed. There was an opening in its side that led into darkness.

I had only about three seconds to take all of this in because the village was being attacked. Pale-skinned villagers-Aku-were swarming over the ground, wearing the same kind of blue clothes that Kya was wearing. They wielded various weapons, mostly knives and even a few swords. It was obvious who they were fighting. The Ignat were vastly different from the villagers in appearance. Their clothes were dull forest shades of brown and olive green, torn into rags. More rags were wrapped around their hands and feet and they were dirty. Screaming, they fell upon the villagers, swinging at them with heavy clubs or wooden staves like the ones the Batu used on Zadaa.

Already, Kya was starting down the incline toward the village, a long knife in her hand. She seemed determined.

An arrow shot through the air and I looked up, realizing where the shots were being fired from. It was the trees. There were ragged groups of Ignat crouched in the branches of the surrounding trees, drawing back on massive longbows. Some held smaller recurve bows and I saw with dismay that they were only kids, probably a few years younger than me.

They knocked their arrows, drew back until the feathered shafts touched the sides of their faces, and released. They weren't well aimed and most fell short of their targets.

It seemed the villagers were much more skilled and cut down the Ignat fighters with well aimed thrusts of their blades. It was no real contest as to who would win.

When she reached the bottom, Kya took a defensive stance, wielding her sharp knife like an expert. I had no doubt that she was. Her eyes darted from side to side and she clenched her jaw firmly.

An Ignat fighter spotted her, let out a wild cry, and charged. He swung his stave through the air, but it was obvious this guy hadn't been trained. He lifted the weapon to bring it crashing upon the Traveler, but she merely dodged the uncontrolled, enraged blow, slicing at his ribs with her knife. He yelped in pain and dropped the stave, instinctively grabbing at his bleeding side.

Kya was no worse for wear, glaring at the wounded Ignat. "Leave," she hissed, brandishing her knife and bringing it forward in short thrusts, trying to drive him away. It worked. The guy didn't stand a chance and he knew it. He turned and ran.

"What's all this about?" I asked when I landed on the forest floor.

"The Ignat have never liked the Aku," Kya replied in disgust. "They're savages. They've been attacking our villages for over three tentaurs now."

Oookay. Whatever a tentaur was. I was about to ask when someone rushed up to us. Immediately, I assumed a defensive stance, expecting to be attacked by another of those Ignat fighters.

But no, this was no threat. He was a mere boy, probably a few years younger than me. He was wearing a grey outfit with blue cuffs and it was covered in dust. His hair was a mop of blond curls on his head that looked in need of a wash. He was a little on the small side, but looked wiry and full of energy. A short knife hung in a leather sheathe at his hip.

"Kya," he said breathlessly. "You missed everything! The Ignat attacked from over there," he pointed toward a thick stand of trees at the edge of the village. "and tried to burn the huts but the other eitaks caught them at it and they're really running scared now! Where have you been? Who are they?" He cocked his head at Kasha and me.

Kya ignored his questions. "What are you _doing _here? You know students aren't allowed to fight until they've passed their final assessment," she scolded.

"But," the kid said. "I just wanted to help." The poor guy looked crestfallen.

"And you'd get killed in the process. Go back to the Center," said Kya. "Now."

"Fine," the kid grumbled and turned away. But he couldn't help getting the last word in and said over his shoulder, "But I scared off a couple of those Ignat and I wasn't the least bit scared either." Then, before Kya could reply, he was jogging off through the village.

"Who was that?" I asked.

Kya sighed. "That's Wilden. He's an orphan but he's training at the Center to become an eitak."

"What's an eitak?"

"Someone who keeps the village safe from enemies," Kya said.

"And what caused this conflict between the Aku and the Ignat?" Kasha asked. Woops, I'd almost forgotten she was there.

"I don't really know," Kya admitted. "They've just always been hostile toward us. But everybody says that they want more land. They don't have much and this place would be perfect for setting up another Ignat village. They're suffering from overpopulation."

"Then why don't they just move somewhere else?" Kasha said.

"Because this is one of the only places that's safe from the phranas." Kya, looking out upon the village, sheathed her knife. The attack had already ended. The Ignat had vanished back into the trees, leaving the Aku to clean up the mess.

"What's a phrana?" I asked.

"Vicious carnivores who prey on the villagers. That's why it's not safe outside the village. But don't worry, they won't come here. Now come on, we'll go to my house. I believe a friend of yours is waiting for us."

I would have asked about that but she moved away, toward the huts of the village. We entered the crowd of blue-clad villagers. Some were holding cloths to bleeding wounds, others were dragging bodies off for burial. No one spoke. You think they would at least whisper or something but there was absolute silence as far as communication was concerned.

I glanced at Kasha to see her pulling her hood farther up. She seemed uneasy, keeping her head down so as not to be discovered for what she really was.

The hut in which Kya lived was made of wood and stone, protruding from the side of a tree. Green leaf curtains were drawn over the windows. Kya led us up to the wooden door and it squeaked on its hinges as she opened it.

I saw a couple of chairs in the main room, made out of some leathery material and there was a wooden table off to the side. Another door must have led to other rooms in this small hut.

Almost instantly, her words earlier made absolute sense and I couldn't help smiling as I faced the two people who occupied the chairs. One in particular.

"Hobey, Pendragon, what took you so long?"


End file.
